This invention incorporates the centrifugal separation apparatus as claimed in two prior patent applications into a compact processing system designed to separate oil from the granulated plastic by-product of plastic oil containers. The end products of this separation process are a high purity, homogeneous motor oil and clean, granulated plastic. This processing system may be used as a stationary plant installation, or, as a mobile recovery unit servicing automotive service stations and the like.
Within this process, plastic motor oil containers with residual waste oil are placed in the feed hopper of the apparatus. From the hopper, they are conveyed to a chipper which granulates the entire container and its contents. Subsequently the granulated container is discharged into a centrifuge separating device.
The centrifuge separates the oil, passing it through a filter system and into an oil holding tank. The granulated plastic is fed into a plastic holding bin for eventual reprocessing at a central plant location.
With an understanding of the present need to protect both our natural environment and to optimize the use of natural resources, the importance of this process should be readily apparent. In a first case, a mechanical separation of the residual waste liquid (most notably, motor oil) from its granulated container assures less pollutants introduced into the waste stream from cleaning operations in the form of an emulsion of water, detergents, and the specific material in the container. In a second case, a mechanical separation assures a greater return of product into its highest value usage with the least energy expanded; that is, motor oil may be recovered in the form of pure motor oil rather than as an emulsion or solvent dilution which requires expensive reprocessing for commercial reuse. Further, this process allows a compact and economical process for reducing the plastic and residual oil waste into reusable components. A further intent of this invention is the provision of a system which is truck mounted and can periodically dispose of used one-quart oil containers at the site of their use such as service stations, automotive garages, and retail automotive oil markets which recycle the used containers.